The task of repairing the Main Pavilion naturally fell on Ye Qingluan’s shoulders.
Most of the buildings in Among the Colorful Clouds had been constructed by her, so restoring the Main Pavilion to its original state was not a difficult feat.
“To think that a mere messenger required Second Senior Sister to use her full strength just to kill him in one hit. It seems that ‘Demon Sect’ isn’t just for show; they truly possess some skill,” Su Cheng, who had also been temporarily released from confinement, remarked thoughtfully after learning what had transpired.
Although the white-faced old man was instantly killed by Blue Ling’er, which sounded a bit embarrassing and made him seem weak, one had to realize that he was just an ordinary messenger.
Blue Ling’er, the second disciple of Among the Colorful Clouds, had to exert her full power to kill him in a single strike.
The point was not the “single hit,” but the “full power.”
“Su Cheng, what do you think we should do next?” Yu Yi asked.
As the strategist of Among the Colorful Clouds, Yu Yi needed Su Cheng to offer suggestions — even though her confinement had lasted for less than one or two hours.
“Since Master isn’t familiar with the Demon Sect, we need to gather information from those in the know. If we know nothing about the enemy, it will be hard to seize the initiative,” Su Cheng replied.
Even though the white-faced old man knew Yu Yi’s real name and had earlier claimed that their Holy Sovereign was an old friend of hers, Yu Yi had no memory of it at all.
It was a headache.
She couldn’t pretend to be well-versed regarding the Demon Sect and the Holy Sovereign; she had just admitted that she knew nothing about them.
Fortunately, her disciples didn’t mind.
They simply felt that the Holy Sovereign of the Demon Sect was not worth being remembered by their Master.
“According to the messenger, since the Demon Sect is an entity with deep history that once ran rampant in the world, then only people from The Palace and some long-standing powers with deep foundations should know about them,” Su Cheng said.
As a senior to Yu Yi and a bona-fide “old monster,” Sword Emperor Ji Hongye should know something about the Demon Sect.
However, Ji Hongye currently resided within The Palace, and it was inconvenient for Yu Yi to see her.
Did she have to go and talk to some Orthodox Faction forces?
As a Demoness, Yu Yi was already the most terrifying enemy in the eyes of the major Orthodox Factions.
In their view, her “talk” would likely be anything but ordinary.
After some thought, Yu Yi considered an Orthodox Faction that might be willing to talk with Among the Colorful Clouds.
“The Qingyun Alliance in Yunzhou might know something about the Demon Sect,” she said indifferently.
Although the Qingyun Alliance was an alliance, its core consisted of established sects with deep foundations. It might be possible to obtain some intelligence from them.
“Since the Demon Sect, hidden in the shadows, is now making a move, they will inevitably cause some stir in the world. With Fourth Senior Sister’s keen intuition, she might have already noticed their movements and begun investigating,” Su Cheng said, before tossing the question back to Yu Yi.
“Master, what do you plan to do?”
Yu Yi now faced two choices.
No matter which one she chose, the information gathered might be limited.
Therefore, both the Qingyun Alliance and the Fengqing Sect, where Lü Qi was located, would be targets for her visit.
“Ling’er, Chi Ming, hear my command,” Yu Yi called out after a moment of deliberation.
“Your disciples are here!” the two answered in unison.
“The two of you shall go to Yunzhou to visit the Qingyun Alliance and inquire about information regarding the Demon Sect.”
“Your disciples obey!”
The current Leader of Xingyue Alliance in Yunzhou, Fang Xiaoyu, was a good friend of Chi Ming’s and would certainly provide necessary assistance.
Furthermore, at the previous Recruitment Assembly, the young talents of the Qingyun Alliance had been saved by Blue Ling’er.
Out of gratitude for saving their lives, they would likely introduce her to the old leader of the Qingyun Alliance.
“Su Cheng and Qianxue, you will accompany me to the Fengqing Sect,” Yu Yi then instructed.
Su Cheng and Yun Qianxue also bowed respectfully and accepted the order.
Blue Ling’er’s expression became somewhat subtle.
‘Is Master… taking Su Cheng with her again?’ she thought silently as a wave of jealousy spread through her heart.
However, as the Senior Sister to everyone else currently present, she could absolutely not say anything like “swap with Su Cheng” at this time.
That would not only be willful but also an act of defying her Master’s orders!
“Then Master, what about us?”
Ye Qingluan asked, pointing to herself and Huang Doudou.
“Among the Colorful Clouds cannot be left unguarded. Such a heavy responsibility is entrusted to the two of you,” Yu Yi said.
“Qingluan will guard Among the Colorful Clouds, while Doudou will, as usual, be responsible for heading to taverns and post stations to see if she can pick up any rumors.”
Ye Qingluan and Huang Doudou nodded, having no objection.
The beautiful mountain forest of Among the Colorful Clouds was a masterpiece created by Ye Qingluan.
This was her primary home turf, where she could push the power of the Azure Wood Jade to its limit.
Yu Yi wouldn’t even need to strengthen the Mountain-Protecting Array.
As long as Ye Qingluan was guarding Among the Colorful Clouds, outsiders could forget about easily stepping foot into these woods.
But even so, Yu Yi did not feel at ease leaving the Everlasting Tribulation Sword in Ye Qingluan’s care while she was alone.
Thus, Yu Yi asked, “Qingluan, without the trump card that is the Everlasting Tribulation Sword, would you feel pressured if an enemy were to invade Among the Colorful Clouds?”
“Answering Master, there is no pressure at all,” Ye Qingluan said, performing a salute.
She spoke the most confident words in her most lethargic voice.
Ye Qingluan possessed the Heavenly Rank treasure, the Azure Wood Jade, and her control over grass and wood had long since reached a transcendent level.
Her constitution was simply suited to holding the Everlasting Tribulation Sword.
In fact, from the moment she received the sword until now, she hadn’t even touched it.
She hadn’t even opened the scabbard that suppressed the sword, so she didn’t even know what the Everlasting Tribulation Sword looked like inside.
Ye Qingluan knew no sword techniques.
Keeping such an “unfamiliar” trump card by her side would only distract her.
“Fine. Then I shall carry the Everlasting Tribulation Sword with me,” Yu Yi instructed her disciples.
“Pack your things and prepare to depart.”
“Yes!” the disciples answered in unison.
***
“Oh dear… what should I prepare?”
Yun Qianxue paced back and forth in her room, looking at a pile of gifts on the table with a worried expression.
Compared to the duo of Blue Ling’er and Chi Ming, Yun Qianxue, who could ride in the Fengshen Litter with Yu Yi, had more time to prepare.
Since arriving at Among the Colorful Clouds, aside from her tense relationship with Su Cheng, Yun Qianxue had become quite familiar with the others.
However, at the thought of meeting the “terrifying” Fourth Senior Sister, Yun Qianxue’s heart began to skip beats.
‘What kind of gift would someone with such a volatile personality like?’
When young ladies of various families visited one another, they would carefully prepare gifts to foster their relationships.
As a Young Lady of the Cloud Family, Yun Qianxue was naturally well-versed in this.
Unfortunately, Yun Qianxue’s “indecisiveness” often caused her to spend more and more time whenever she prepared gifts.
“Miss Yun, Master has been waiting for you outside for a long time. Can you move a bit faster?”
The sudden sound startled Yun Qianxue.
She looked toward the doorway and found Su Cheng standing there, watching her with a subtle expression.
“You… don’t just appear like that! It’s very scary, okay?”
Yun Qianxue said petulantly, before becoming even more nervous.
“Has Big Sister been waiting for me for a long time…? Oh, what should I do…?”
Seeing Yun Qianxue’s flustered state, the corners of Su Cheng’s mouth curled upward into a mischievous smile.
“Ha, I lied to you. Master only just started waiting for you.”
“You… you person!” Yun Qianxue realized she had been played.
Her face turned red, and she was so frustrated she wanted to stomp her feet.
As a Young Lady from a prestigious family, Yun Qianxue was supposed to maintain the proper etiquette of her status in any situation and environment.
Yet, it seemed that whenever she was in front of Su Cheng, she could never hold it together.
‘This person is so annoying! Even more annoying than back in Cangzhou!’ she lamented in her heart.
For some reason, Yun Qianxue felt that Su Cheng’s attitude toward her had changed.
If Su Cheng’s treatment of her in Cangzhou was like a hostile person “protecting her food,” then the current Su Cheng was like a “winner” who had already eaten the “food” and tasted its sweetness, teasing her from a high-and-mighty position.
‘Hmph… she must have gotten some kind of benefit from Big Sister, right? I can’t fall behind. Just you wait!’
Yun Qianxue vowed silently.